No, this is not an attempt to fix the record industry's business woes. The goal is to lift the sound quality of the too-often tinny tunes squeaking out of our ear buds, and it's an ambitious plan nonetheless. HP will release premium-priced laptops, headsets, and software featuring the "Beats by Dr. Dre" brand sometime this fall, music industry sources with knowledge of the offering told CNET News.

In an interview last week, Iovine declined to discuss HP or any other company that may be involved. He confirmed, however, that he and Dr. Dre are part of a plan to reconstruct the entire "digital music ecosystem" from the sound file to the computer and culminating with high-end headsets.

Iovine downplayed the potential for the group's efforts to compete with Apple. The man who discovered rapper Eminem, said he enjoys an excellent relationship with Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

In addition, the partnership would love to join forces with Apple and other consumer electronics companies, according to a source close to the company. That said the plan has all the markings of an attempt to lure away those Apple fans who possess a discerning ear. Audiophiles have long lamented the dropoff in sound quality brought on by the onset of digital music.

"We have to fix the entire chain," Iovine told CNET News. "Our position is to go to all the sources and try to improve sound and educate people...We can't put anything weak in the line. Whoever puts out things that sound bad shouldn't be as cool as something that sounds great."

Iovine said that he and Dr. Dre's efforts are not based on any attempt to save the music industry.

"I just want our product to sound better," Iovine said. "The record business committed many, many mistakes in the last 10 years, and I'm right in there. One of them was letting its product get degraded. It's one thing to let it get stolen, it's another to allow it to be degraded because then you really don't have a chance...video games and TV quality are getting better and the quality of our work is getting lower. If that happens, then music will become disposable. That's something we can fix."

Lil Wayne appeared briefly in a Manhattan courtroom Tuesday (August 11) for a hearing in the ongoing case stemming from his 2007 arrest on gun-possession charges following his first solo headlining show in New York.

Weezy was only present for a few minutes as his attorney continued to fight DNA evidence introduced by the prosecution. The gun in question is legally registered to Wayne's manager, Cortez Bryant. However, the district attorney in the case is attempting to tie the rapper to the firearm.

"It's about whether or not we get a hearing to evaluate whether this type of DNA evidence is admissible," Stacey Richman, Wayne's lawyer, told MTV News. "It's not accepted anywhere else in the country. Los Angeles just rejected it March 18th. It's problematic. People assume DNA [is accurate], but that's not the facts. And there's great concern. It's not just a Lil Wayne case, but all citizens. You don't want a rubber-stamp procedure that could potential convict thousands of innocent people."

In May, one of the arresting officers in the case was questioned on the stand during a short hearing. Conflicting information regarding the arrest was filed in different reports, in particular the time of the arrest compared with the time the vehicle, Lil Wayne's tour bus, was pulled over. The case was adjour ned until next month, when the judge is expected to rule on the next motion.

The rapper is currently in the midst of his headlining tour, Young Money Presents: The America's Most Wanted Music Festival. His most recent date was on Sunday in Atlanta. The rapper is expected to rejoin the tour Wednesday, where he's scheduled to perform in Phoenix.

Ludacris is the latest music artist to land his own cologne line. He’s teamed up with Body Spray company Tag to launch his own collection of scents.

Luda and NBA player Carmelo Anthony, who also landed his own fragrance, partied at the London Hotel in West Hollywood last week to celebrate the launch.

He says, "They approached us saying that there was an opportunity where I could design a can and endorse a fragrance... It's something that is uncharted territory for me so I was definitely interested."

Yung Joc has finally announced a release date for his third studio album, Grind Flu. The album, which was previously titled Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood will see a mid-August digital release.

The upcoming album will be the first time the rapper has released a CD on his own record label Swagg Team Entertainment.

Originally slated to be released on Bad Boy Records, the project was halted after Joc made the decision to sue Diddy's record label as well as Block Entertainment for allegedly failing to fulfill contractual obligations such as paying royalties. Clearly expressing his anger and disappointment about the situation back in May, Joc told Billboard that he would "use some independent record promoters to promote my record."

"Fans all over the world have been eagerly waiting for me to release a new album," Yung Joc said in a recent statement, "and I felt the time was right at this very moment to release Grind Flu for free, gift it to my fans, and do things my way."

With the decision to release through Yung Joc's own imprint, Swagg Team Entertainment., Yung Joc joins groups Hot Styles (of "Lookin' Boy" fame) and the GS Boyz (who recently smashed digital sales with their hit "Stanky Legg") as an official artist of the label.

The new album will feature Shawty Lo, Bobby Valentino, Chris Brown, Pleasure P, and others. Grind Flu will be available free for download on August 11th.

Tracklist after the jumpOfficial Tracklist1. What We Talking About (Produced by Kanye West)2. D.O.A. (Produced by No I.D.)3. Weigh Me Down Feat. Kid Cudi (Produced by Kanye West)4. Unforgiven (Produced by Kanye West, Additional Production: MGMT)5. Run This Town Feat. Rihanna & Kanye West (Produced by Kanye West)6. Empire State Of Mind Feat. Nas (Produced by Kanye West & No I.D.)7. When It Comes To This (Produced by Timbaland)8. Always Feat. Drake (Produced by Kanye West)9. Scenes From The Past (Produced by No I.D., Co-produced by Kanye West)10. Everyday A Star Is Born Feat. Mr. Hudson (Produced by Kanye West)11. Already Home (Produced by Kanye West)12. Forever Young Feat. Mr. Hudson (Produced by Kanye West)13. Thank You (Produced by No I.D.)

Bonus Tracks:14. Sound Of The 70s (Produced by Kanye West)15. We Made History (Produced by Kanye West)

Bow Wow and Ice Cube will be starring in an upcoming comedy tilted Lottery Ticket.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film revolves around a man who lives in the projects (played by Bow Wow) who has to survive a three-day weekend after his opportunistic neighbors find out he's holding a winning lottery ticket worth $350 million.

Ice Cube plays a reclusive former boxer who lives in the basement of the building where Bow Wow's character lives.

Lottery Ticket will begin filming in Atlanta in October. A release date for the flick was not revealed.

On Tuesday (August 4), a Manhattan judge signed an order that will see former Bad Boy recording artist and onetime Sean "Diddy" Combs protégé Jamal "Shyne" Barrow receive two-and-a-half years of post-release supervision stemming from his 2001 conviction and sentencing in the infamous Club New York case.

An attorney for Shyne — born Jamal Barrow but now going by Moses Levi after converting to Judaism while in prison — said that the order marked one of the last remaining hurdles in the way of his client's release from prison in October.

"He's about 90 percent of the way home now," attorney Oscar Michelin told MTV News following the hearing.

The district attorney's office had recommended Shyne receive the maximum amount of five years of post-release supervision (essentially probation), due to the violent nature of his crime.

In June of 2001, Shyne was sentenced to 10 years in prison — the most serious charge he was found guilty of was first-degree assault, after a patron in the club was shot in the face following a melee that started between a group of clubgoers and Diddy's entourage, which included his then-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez and Shyne. Shyne brandished a gun and fired shots into the air to break up the argument.

The December 1999 shooting resulted in charges being brought against both Shyne and Diddy, with both of them going to trial. The high-profile incident produced plenty of headlines, from Diddy's red-light running, high-speed exit with Lopez following the shooting to an alleged bribery plot.

Shyne was a rising talent at the time, with his husky baritone reminding many in the music industry of legendary Bad Boy Records artist Notorious B.I.G. Diddy signed the youngster and was set on molding him into hip-hop's next superstar before their relationship crumbled after the trial, in which Diddy was acquitted on all counts.

In court, Michelin presented a memo he prepared in Shyne's defense, which was a combination of previous law examples that were similar to his client's case, talk of the rapper's good behavior and testimony from scholars and business executives who support the Brooklyn native's release.

"I'm grateful," a calm Shyne told the judge.

The rapper was hoping to be re-sentenced as a way to avoid post-release supervision, telling the judge that the supervision equates to "extra jail time." It was a strategy he and his lawyer proposed but the judge quickly dismissed, citing a recent court of appeals decision that changed the nature of assigned post-release supervision in New York.

As a result of the ruling, a number of previous dependents in cases, including Shyne, have been issued extra supervision following their jail sentences. The judge acknowledged the rules were not in effect when Shyne was initially sentenced, but cases all over the state are now being reexamined as a result of the ruling.

In April, Shyne appeared in court for a parole hearing, hoping to be released early after serving eight years in prison — but the rapper was denied any lenience. Now the rapper has a mandatory release scheduled for October 6 of this year. The date will mark eight years and seven months served; he began his sentence in April of 2001, when he was 22 years old.

Shyne will serve the rest of his sentence at the Sullivan Correctional Facility in Fallsburg, New York.